On Thursday, May 3 members of the community—and people from across the country—will gather for the 2018 National Day of Prayer. The prayer event is traditionally acknowledged by the U.S. president, and this year, promoters have designated a theme of “Unity in America.” The theme Bible verse is Ephesians 4:3 - “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace,” and Seth Hein, the pastor of Jubilee Church on Highway 42 at Lake of the Ozarks, says he’s seeing an new spirit of unity among lake area pastors. This unity has come about as a result of multiple pastors joining together to pray for the Lake of the Ozarks community on a monthly basis. “We started meeting once a month for breakfast and to pray together for each other and for our cities,” Seth said. The prayer meetings started out with six pastors and attendance has more than doubled.
“It’s one thing to gather with pastors of churches that are similar to my own. I can see how we could be quick friends, we agree,” Seth admitted. “I have come to realize that the pastors of all these churches are not that different from each other. Yes, we ‘do church’ differently, but after having the opportunity to hear their hearts, I have found that we all want the same thing. We want people to be blessed and for the light to be pushed in and the darkness pushed out.” He says this strength of unity has come about by their joining together on what they agree on, by keeping the “main thing the main thing” — that main thing, Seth explains, is every person’s need for redemption through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
National Day Of Prayer Task Force President Ronnie Floyd pointed to the need for unity nationally, in a press release announcing the May 3 event. “There is no denying our country is in deep trouble. In fact, we are living through what may turn out to be one of the most crucial moments of our generation,” Floyd wrote. “How we handle our gun violence problem, the migration crisis, the unresolved racial tensions in our society, the threats to religious liberty, among the other ongoing major issues…will have repercussions for generations to come.”
Seth says national healing should start with the Church. “We need more love and less judgmentalism, backbiting, gossip and competitiveness,” he said. “Unfortunately, this is all in the church too… [the mentality of] ‘my church is better than your church.’ We need to love each other, because we are all in this together. The Bible says people will know we are Christians by our love for one for one another. When they look at us and see us loving each other, it authenticates the fact that Jesus loves them.”
“But this kind of strong love isn’t something we can generate on our own. It doesn’t do any good to say ‘We need more love!’ The way we get more love is by crying out to our heavenly Father and asking Him for love,” Seth said.
The monthly prayer meetings came about from this same urgency to pray for love, unity and blessings on people. Local pastors will join together for the National Day of Prayer at 6:30 p.m. at the seat of Camden County, the Camden County Courthouse. “We want as many people to be a part as we can,” Seth encouraged.
“We will pray that God rescues and blesses people. We all want to see hope come to people who are in hopeless situations. So many are stuck, for whatever reason, whether it is in their life situation, sickness, finances or broken relationships. They are hopeless, and they need someone who cares enough to love them, pray for them and walk alongside them, to help them find a way out. And there is a way out.
“I want people to know that God loves you so much, that he gave His only Son to die for you, to pay the penalty for you,” Seth said. “You can come to Him anytime you like, and turn your life towards him, instead of walking away from him, and if you ask him to, He will forgive you.”
But, he warned, “time is short. No one knows how long they have on this earth. I am 34. I could think I have decades, but I don’t know for sure. This could be the last chance for someone to have their eternity changed. We need to pray for God to pour out His love and unity on His church, so that we can all impact as many people as possible.”
Seth points out everyone is invited to the National Day of Prayer gathering. “If you pray and care about your town, then let’s pray together that our town can be blessed, and that we can be a blessing. Regardless of church or denomination. We want as many people who care about our city to come and be with us.”
“Charles Spurgeon said, ‘Prayer moves the arm that moves the world,’ I am constantly amazed that God choses to answer prayer. He invites us to ask and pray, and He said He will listen and answer. We see it throughout scripture where people prayed and stood in the gap for their city, or for individuals, and He answered their prayer.
“Prayer is not just something that good Christians do before a meal. We have the ear of the God of the Universe. We get to pray, and He answers. What a huge opportunity. What a gift. I don’t think there is anything more important that we as Christians can do than to join together to pray and ask God to send blessings and mercy on our town. When more people gather to pray, it will be a key to seeing light, unity and love breakthrough. The pouring out of blessings starts with prayer.”
There are four National Day of Prayer events at the lake this year.
Camdenton
Prayer will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 3 on the Camden County Courthouse steps in Camdenton.
Osage Beach
A NDP event is scheduled at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 3 at the Central Bank of Lake of the Ozarks Main Branch in Osage Beach.
Versailles
The Versailles Ministerial Alliance will also pray at noon on Thursday, May 3 on the Morgan County Courthouse steps in Versailles.
Sunrise Beach
The Westlake Ministerial Alliance, WLMA, will observe the NDP at noon on Thursday, May 3 at the Lake Christian Academy in Sunrise Beach. “I would like to encourage everyone to participate in a NDP event near them,” WLMA NDP organizer Pastor Nick Stutesman said. “In John 17:21 Jesus prayed, ‘that they may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they may also be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.’ We have peace and unity with God because of Jesus Christ. Let us join with Him in praying that we all may be one.”
Last year, an estimated two million Americans observed the National Day of Prayer, at more than 30,000 events, across all 50 states.
